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Fiorente takes out Melbourne Cup

Rachael BrownUpdated
Tue 5 Nov 2013, 7:26 PM AEDT

The 153rd Melbourne Cup has been won by stallion Fiorente by a 3/4 length. The win also lands Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse the Holy Grail she's been chasing for 20 years. It's jockey Damien Oliver's third Gold Cup.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: Gai Waterhouse described it as her dream and the Holy Grail. The trainer has finally managed to win the Melbourne cup with the favourite Fiorente.

Perfect weather saw 104,000 people flock to Flemington racecourse for the 153rd running of the cup.

Today was jockey Damien Oliver's third Melbourne Cup win.

Rachael Brown reports.

COMMENTATOR: Fiorente comes with a terrific run!

RACHAEL BROWN: Fiorente has become the first favourite to win the Melbourne Cup since Makybe Diva in 2005.

RACHAEL BROWN: Fiorente won the $6 million race by just short of a length, ending a 20 year quest for the racing trailblazer and Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse.

GAI WATERHOUSE: Everyone who's a trainer wants to win the majors, and the Melbourne Cup's the major staying race in Australia, and to be able to take it out a year after we bought the horse, it's sensational.

RACHAEL BROWN: Fiorente follows Empire Rose back in 1988 to finish second in the Melbourne Cup, then return to win it the following year. The stallion edged out English galloper Red Cadeaux and Luca Cumani's Mount Athos. Fiorente has only raced five times since the last Melbourne Cup, which Gai Waterhouse says proved a winning gamble.

GAI WATERHOUSE: Very much so. I went through the last 20 years of all the runners, and I saw that there was a pattern, and I thought well I'm going to try to replicate it with my horse.

RACHAEL BROWN: Her late father, Tommy J. Smith, who trained countless racehorse champions including two Melbourne Cup winners, wasn't far from her mind.

GAI WATERHOUSE: I only thought of Dad this morning, and I thought, what would Dad be doing, and how excited would he be with having the favourite in the cup, and it was so vivid in my mind this morning, I can't tell you.

RACHAEL BROWN: For the elated jockey Damien Oliver, this is the third Melbourne Cup for his trophy cabinet.

DAMIEN OLIVER: It's a dream come true. There's a lot of emotions going through my body right now, but it's really hard to believe and it's just amazing. I'm so rapt that I could be a part of Gai's first one. She's done so much for racing and it's a great honour for me to help bring home her first one.

RACHAEL BROWN: It's a sweet victory following 10 months the jockey would rather forget, after Damien Oliver was suspended for being involved in a betting scandal.

DAMIEN OLIVER: Gai was one of the first people to really get behind me when I came back, and I can't thank her enough for helping me get going again, and we have been a great team together. We've had a little bit of luck in bits and pieces over our career, but there's nothing better than winning this one mate.

RACHAEL BROWN: On a sad note to the illustrious race, the French mare Verema has had to be put down after breaking its leg, and this morning there were questions whether another two horses would make it to the barriers or would be scratched.

Stewards were asked to investigate claims that cup prospects Dunaden and Tres Blue were treated for ailments this morning. Treatments of any kind on race day are forbidden.

TERRY BAILEY: Because of the nature of the substances we're dealing with we're satisfied that, particularly on our veterinary advice, that there's no prohibited substances involved and therefore we're comfortable that the horses have been presented drug-free.

RACHAEL BROWN: Nonetheless, the stables will face a Racing Victoria inquiry later in the week.

Punters gathering on the lawn for the big race were oblivious to the drama. There's been the usual fashion cocktail of the wild and the wonderful.

(to cup day visitor) Tell me about your lycra tuxedo.

CUP SPECTATOR: It is delicious. Does it get any better? Really? Come on, tell me.

RACHAEL BROWN: How are you going to get out of that later?

CUP SPECTATOR: Does it matter?

RACHAEL BROWN: And Anna Pierce will have to be cut out of her race day gamble. She was sewn into a living dress of palm trees and chrysanthemums.

ANNA PIERCE: I've been a little bit worried about maybe some bees being attracted to it actually. They spent seven hours creating this dress. They had to wait until last night to start it to make sure the flowers are going to be as fresh as possible.

RACHAEL BROWN: But for a couple of minutes after the clock struck three, the laughs and glass clinking stopped as a hush fell over Flemington.